Startup Blabber #007: Family

Hello Steemians,

Wanted to talk today about the family and its role in creating a startup.

So I have been doing startups for the past decade. A lot has happened during that time. I think the biggest change was that during my first startup, I got married and started a family. Why would I even talk about something that is not ultimately related to the startup itself? This topic is as important as doing the startup itself.

To get straight to the point, if this is your first startup and you already have a family to support, life is really going to be tough, especially if it is a startup that needs confirmation from the market in the beginning. During my time at TMON, I didn't have a family to support, and I think it helped the company to succeed.

In the cycle of a startup, honestly, you have to put in 150% effort and with a bit of luck, your company will succeed. If you decide to half-ass the whole process, the chances for success is dismal. My philosophy is that you need to put in the work to bring your success potential above 0%. After that, I say it's luck. If you don't put in the work, that success potential is pretty much close to 0. I put in 16 hour days, 6-7 days a week for the first year to make this happen. If I had a family to support, I'm not sure how I would have honestly divided up my time.

As for my second startup, it has been much harder, because I have a family to support. Much of the "shortcuts" and "experience-driven know-how" has been crucial in helping me grow out Althea more efficiently. What you really learn when you have a family is time management. I divide my weekdays for work and weekends for my family. It really is a struggle for me, not really engaging with the family during the weekdays, but I guess it's the price to pay to make sure that business succeeds. It has gotten better now that we are in the 3rd year of our business, but I still put in most of my weekday energy into the company.

Sometimes, I envy my friends who have more regular schedules and have a better work-life balance. Good thing this is sometimes, because I really enjoy what I am doing. Ultimately, you have to do what you enjoy, even if it is really hard and tolling. If you aren't enjoying what you are doing, you shouldn't be doing it. Right?

Have a good one everyone!
Chris

More about myself:
Steemit Introductory Post

Startup Blabber Series:
Startup Blabber #001: Communication Within a Team
Startup Blabber #002: Most Important Aspect of a Startup
Startup Blabber #003: There shall always be conflict!
Startup Blabber #004: The Hamptons Five
Startup Blabber #005: The Cap Table
Startup Blabber #006: The Importance of Feedback

Althea Talk Series:
Althea Talk #001: Introduction
Althea Talk #002: My Journey Into Skincare